From: joy <joy@313b444b-1b9f-4f58-a734-7bb04f332e8d>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 13:38:12 +0000 (+0000)
Subject: fixed up the section on reporting bugs
X-Git-Url: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/ucgi/~ianmdlvl/git?a=commitdiff_plain;h=0ea8640946216f1756198f38b15de6482e1ddec7;hp=605f72913c9637e4f12c766da6757816953a9718;p=developers-reference.git

fixed up the section on reporting bugs


git-svn-id: svn://anonscm.debian.org/ddp/manuals/trunk/developers-reference@2227 313b444b-1b9f-4f58-a734-7bb04f332e8d
---

diff --git a/common.ent b/common.ent
index 20aa8f1..9892b99 100644
--- a/common.ent
+++ b/common.ent
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 <!entity url-debian-lists-subscribe "http://&www-debian-org;/MailingLists/subscribe">
 <!entity url-lists-archives "http://&lists-host;/">
 <!entity url-bts "http://&www-debian-org;/Bugs/">
+<!entity url-bts-report "&url-bts;Reporting">
 <!entity url-bts-devel "&url-bts;Developer">
 <!entity url-bts-control "&url-bts;server-control">
 <!entity url-debian-mirrors "http://&www-debian-org;/mirror/">
diff --git a/developers-reference.sgml b/developers-reference.sgml
index 9fc6275..01a10be 100644
--- a/developers-reference.sgml
+++ b/developers-reference.sgml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
   <!entity % commondata  SYSTEM "common.ent" > %commondata;
 
   <!-- CVS revision of this document -->
-  <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.195 $">
+  <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.196 $">
   <!-- if you are translating this document, please notate the CVS
        revision of the developers reference here -->
   <!--
@@ -1843,9 +1843,8 @@ according to their licensing, e.g. <em>main</em>, <em>contrib</em> and
 	<p>
 Every developer has to be able to work with the Debian <url name="bug
 tracking system" id="&url-bts;">. This includes knowing how to file bug
-reports properly, how to update them and reorder them, and how to
-process and close them. Some information on filing bugs can be found in
-<ref id="submit-bug">.
+reports properly (see <ref id="submit-bug">), how to update them and
+reorder them, and how to process and close them.
 	<p>
 The bug tracking system's features interesting to developers are described
 in the <url id="&url-bts-devel;" name="BTS documentation for developers">.
@@ -3684,21 +3683,39 @@ members in choosing what they want to work on and in choosing
 the most critical thing to spend their time on.
 
     <sect id="submit-bug">
-        <heading>Bug reporting</heading>
+      <heading>Bug reporting</heading>
         <p>
 We encourage you to file bugs as you find them in Debian packages.  In
 fact, Debian developers are often the first line testers.  Finding and
-reporting bugs in other developer's packages improves the quality of
+reporting bugs in other developers' packages improves the quality of
 Debian.
 	<p>
+Read the <url name="instructions for reporting bugs"
+id="&url-bts-report;"> in the Debian <url name="bug tracking system"
+id="&url-bts;">.
+	<p>
 Try to submit the bug from a normal user account at which you are
-likely to receive mail.  Do not submit bugs as root.
+likely to receive mail, so that people can reach you if they need
+further information about the bug.  Do not submit bugs as root.
+	<p>
+You can use a tool like <manref name="reportbug" section="1"> to
+submit bugs. It can automate and generally ease the process.
+	<p>
+Make sure the bug is not already filed against a package.
+Each package has a bug list easily reachable at
+<tt>http://&bugs-host;/<var>packagename</var></tt>
+Utilities like <manref name="querybts" section="1"> can also
+provide you with this information (and <prgn>reportbug</prgn>
+will usually invoke <prgn>querybts</prgn> before sending, too).
+	<p>
+Try to direct your bugs to the proper location. When for example
+your bug is about a package that overwrites files from another package,
+check the bug lists for <em>both</em> of those packages in order to
+avoid filing duplicate bug reports.
 	<p>
-Make sure the bug is not already filed against a package.  Try to do a
-good job reporting a bug and redirecting it to the proper location.
 For extra credit, you can go through other packages, merging bugs
-which are reported more than once, or setting bug severities to
-`fixed' when they have already been fixed.  Note that when you are
+which are reported more than once, or tagging bugs `fixed'
+when they have already been fixed.  Note that when you are
 neither the bug submitter nor the package maintainer, you should
 not actually close the bug (unless you secure permission from the
 maintainer).
@@ -3707,7 +3724,7 @@ From time to time you may want to check what has been going on
 with the bug reports that you submitted. Take this opportunity to
 close those that you can't reproduce anymore. To find
 out all the bugs you submitted, you just have to visit
-<tt>http://&bugs-host;/from:&lt;your-email-addr&gt;</tt>.
+<tt>http://&bugs-host;/from:<var>&lt;your-email-addr&gt;</var></tt>.
 
       <sect1 id="submit-many-bugs">Reporting lots of bugs at once
 	<p>